Bela Fleck

Bela Fleck and the Flecktones have been perfecting a dynamic hybrid of bluegrass, jazz and pop for more than 15 years. In the process, the band has practically created its own genre. Hear the group recorded live in concert, from XPN and World Cafe Live in Philadelphia.

A few years ago, the banjo master Fleck set out to explore the birthplace of his instrument: West Africa. The results of his cross-cultural explorations are collected on a new album. He describes and performs some of his findings, with Malian kora virtuoso Diabate.

On Jingle All the Way, Bela Fleck and his band The Flecktones breathe new life into the Christmas canon, approaching classics like "What Child Is This" and "O Come All Ye Faithful" with their distinctive, genre-bending fervor. Hear the session from WXPN.

Bassist Michael Thurber, 18, was excited to perform with special guest Bela Fleck, one of his musical idols. "I've always been a huge fan of everything he's done," Thurber says. Thurber and Fleck cooked up an improvisational, jazzy rendition of Fleck's "Sunset Road" for the show. This segment originally aired on Sept. 20, 2006.

Two of the most renowned and prolific players in jazz, banjo great Bela Fleck and fusion pianist Chick Corea combine their talents on a new disc called The Enchantment. The two musicians recently sat down for an interview and in-studio performance.

Bela Fleck and the Flecktones have been perfecting a dynamic hybrid of bluegrass, jazz and pop for over 15 years, and have practically created their own genre in the process.

The world of music seems to have fewer and fewer borders these days. Bela Fleck, Edgar Meyer and Zakir Hussain are players who regularly cross over into new frontiers. Now, all three have collaborated on an album called The Melody of Rhythm.

Two of the most renowned and prolific players in jazz, banjo great Bela Fleck and fusion pianist Chick Corea combine their talents on a new disc called The Enchantment. The two musicians recently sat down for an interview and in-studio performance.

Jazz fans know Bela Fleck and Chick Corea as master musicians in their own right. Now, the two Grammy Award-winners have collaborated on a new album, The Enchantment. Fleck and Corea perform tunes and take questions about their CD, which hits stores Tuesday.

NPR's Robert Siegel talks with banjo player Bela Fleck and bassist Edgar Meyer about their unusual musical collaboration. The two friends have collaborated in both bluegrass and classical music. They recently released a CD together, Music for Two.

Though her process might be described as methodical, even obsessive, pianist Iren Marik isn't chilly or scholarly in performance; she's just someone who thought about the shapes and tones individual pieces of music should convey. Marik gets at exactly what's needed to bring each piece alive and adds nothing more.

Esquire music critic Andy Langer previews this week's new album releases, featuring music from actress-turned-singer Scarlett Johansson, Green Day side project Foxboro Hot Tubs, bluegrass banjoist Abigail Washburn, and the Flobots.